Case Number 16517

JEEVES & WOOSTER: THE COMPLETE SERIES

The Charge

Join Jeeves & Wooster for an enchanting romp through the drawing rooms
and diversions of Britain's tweedy elite.

Opening Statement

I wish America had the comic equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse...or at least one I
could think of. His work on the Jeeves stories is one of those rare bits of
genius that can poke the kind of fun at a group that anyone can appreciate. His
portrayal of the British upper class is that perfect mix of truth and fancy that
shows their foibles up gently enough that everyone can get a laugh, but very few
(if any) readers end up offended. It's a precarious path to walk, and Wodehouse
traveled it for sixty years. Although there have been numerous adaptations of
Wodehouse's Jeeves stories (most notably on the big screen by Arthur Treacher),
it was the comedic pair of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in the iconic roles who
gave us the definitive portrayal of the famous gentleman and the gentleman's
gentleman. Although the series has been available in numerous configurations
from A&E Home Video, Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Series
appears to be a reboxing of the previously available complete collection.
Despite the set's barebones nature, it's a must for fans of British comedy or
stars Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.

Facts of the Case

Bertie Wilberforce Wooster (Hugh Laurie, House, M.D.) is a well-heeled
young man of the leisure class. His only cares in the world as his own amusement
and keeping in the good graces his Aunt Agatha (played by Mary Wimbush for three
series and Elizabeth Spriggs for the last), lest she find some way to marry him
off to an undesirable woman. Each episode finds Bertie Wooster in some
predicament, usually involving marriage or money. Luckily, Bertie has a
brilliant and resourceful valet, Jeeves (Stephen Fry, Wilde) who can
apparently maneuver out of any scrape that Bertie might find himself in.

All 23 episodes of the four series of this show are presented on eight
discs:

Disc One * "Jeeves Takes Charge" * "Tuppy
and the Terrier" * "The Purity of the Turf"

The Evidence

Jeeves and Wooster has two chief strengths, and they are mightily
impressive. The first is the source texts from P.G. Wodehouse. Each episode
typically blends ideas from more than one of the Jeeves stories to tell a
50-minute tale. These stories are the stuff of farce, with miscommunications,
missed opportunities, and mistaken identities, with the target usually the
tweed-encrusted upper class of England. On paper these predicaments are sound
enough, but that brings us to the show's second strength: Stephen Fry and Hugh
Laurie. Filmed in tandem with their brilliant sketch show A Bit of Fry and
Laurie, these four series showcase a slightly different side of the actors.
Although these personas would not be entirely new to viewers of Fry and
Laurie, here both actors take the idea to the hilt. This is (as far as I'm
aware) the most empty-headed character Laurie has played regularly, and this is
the most titanically disdainful performance in Stephen Fry's repertoire. Fans of
House should probably beware: once you've seen Hugh Laurie as Bertie
Wooster, it might be a little bit harder to take your favorite pill-popping
diagnostician so seriously.

It is also the brilliance of Fry and Laurie that make this DVD set somewhat
disappointing. Aside from a simple text biography/bibliography, there are no
extras here. I know both actors are very busy, and have been for a number of
years, but even a few words from the stars would make this reissue a must-buy.
In addition, the creative team behind the camera, including adaptor Clive Exton,
would make excellent interview or commentary subjects to discuss the
difficulties in adapting such exquisitely witty material. But no, we get a short
bio on Wodehouse, which may be useful to some fans (especially Americans), but
will only whet the appetites of most.

The audiovisual presentation is passable, but not particularly impressive.
Unsurprisingly, the show's look got better as it went on. It's almost certainly
the source (which looks like video, or perhaps a video transfer in the past),
and I didn't see any significant compression problems. The series is watchable,
but don't expect anything particularly spectacular. Similarly, the stereo audio
gets the job done, but doesn't impress with clarity or anything.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

These characters aren't terribly dynamic, which is to say that Bertie doesn't
seem to learn much from his exploits. Add to this the fact that each
story is fairly similar in terms of plot (Bertie gets in trouble, Jeeves rescues
him), there's very little to be gained by watching all of these episodes at
once, which is a rarity with good television. Instead, these shows are probably
most enjoyable in small doses, like the short stories -- pick one up on a random
night and then not watch another for a few weeks.

The DVD set loses some points for fit and finish. I can understand the lack
of extras, what with Fry's and Laurie's schedules, but the lack of subtitles is
pretty annoying. It'd be really nice to see the spelling of some of Wodehouse's
more imaginative names without having to check a book or the Internet. Also, the
ability to easily skip past the intro music and credits would have been nice.
The song is catchy, but watching it over and over again gets tedious.

Closing Statement

Jeeves and Wooster is an excellent adaptation of Wodehouse's stories,
anchored by the fantastic pairing of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. If you're a
fan of British comedy, or of the stars, then you should give Jeeves and
Wooster a rental at least. Those who've already purchased the complete set
of the series will find nothing new here to upgrade except slimmer
packaging.